Ten Steps Ahead
by Omegathyst
Summary: My name is Adora Hargreeves. I am the new Number Six after Ben died of unknown causes. But that hardly matters right now. What matters is that Reginald killed all of us on my 17th birthday, and I have to relive the same day every time I die. I need to get to the bottom of this, save all my siblings, seek revenge on my ex-lover, and defeat Reginald all in one day. AU/Hiatus.
1. The Prologue

My name is Adora Hargreeves.

I am the new Number Six after Ben died of unknown causes. But that hardly matters right now. What matters is that Reginald killed all of us on my 17th birthday, and I have to relive the same day every time I die.

The day starts like any other, and at this point, I can remember the details like the back of my hand.

Grace wakes me up, with a warm hand caressing my cheek as she tells me happy birthday. I used to love when she woke me up like that. But every time she brings me back from death to relive my 17th birthday, I feel sick to my stomach.

I've lost count of how many times Grace has brought me back to the worst day of my life. As she wakes me up, I manage the best smile I could give her. It's the least I could do after all the attempts she's made to save us from Reginald. Poor Grace.

She leaves, and I walk to my dresser and look at the various shirts at my disposal. Hmm, I've worn every shirt here at least a dozen times on this day. I start digging through the shirts, hoping to find one that I've never worn before.

After reliving this day several times, I wondered if wearing a different shirt would affect the outcome of me and my adoptive siblings. I tried everything: different shirts, different pants, a funny hat, my birthday suit (that didn't go so well, Reginald killed all of us on the spot), but it didn't mean jackshit.

I start to wonder why I even bother when I see a black shirt with a white violin on it at the bottom of the pile. Huh, I don't think I've seen this shirt in my dresser before. Neat.

I put it on and then I take a deep breath. _You're __okay__ Adora, __you're __gonna__ be okay. __Luther __will__ be okay. Diego will be okay. __Allison__ will be okay. Klaus will be okay. Five will be okay. __Vanya__ will be okay._

Alright, it's go time.

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**Thoughts on the prologue?**


	2. Blast from the Past Part 1

**Happy Birthday to me! Here's to over 6 years of writing and many more!**

* * *

_Several attempts ago the first time Adora woke up on her 17th birthday..._

_"Happy birthday."_

On the first waking moment of my birthday, my eyes were _grace-_d with the sight of my robotic adoptive mother, her blonde hair, and her red lips. I was tempted to say "Happy birthday to you, Grace." with a silly grin on my face, but instead I gave her a soft _"thank you."_

Yes, technically we were all born on the same day, but to avoid sharing a day, Dad chose different days in the year to celebrate our "birthday." And today was mine.

I wonder if my ex-girlfriend remembers that today's my birthday. Bitch probably doesn't remember. _Now now, Adora, you shouldn't be thinking of her like that. Don't you want to see her again?_

Ugh, that fucking voice again. I suppose I could walk to her door today, if only to shit all over her parade. I noticed that during my inner monologue, Grace had already left to presumably wake the others.

I get up and close the door, picking out a red shirt with a yellow star on it, my favorite. As soon as I put on that and some shorts, I hear a slam against my door.

_"Adora!_ Happy birthday! Ben says hi!"

"Of course he does, Klaus." I laughed.

I opened the door, and Klaus tumbled onto the floor and onto my feet head first. He turns his head to look straight at me, goofy grin and bright eyes. The previous bitterness I felt over my ex melts away, if only for a moment, as I crouch down and place both my hands on the sides of Klaus' head.

"Thanks Klaus." I wiggled his head before moving my feet from under it.

"She's 17, don't you think she would've revealed her superpowers by now?" I heard Luther down the hallway.

"The hell do I know, Dad just bargained for a random child after Ben di-"

_"Diego!"_

The sharp hiss that escaped Klaus' mouth silenced me, Luther, and Diego. Luther and Diego stopped in their tracks, looking at me and Klaus.

"Jesus, you start your period or something, Klaus?" Diego taunted him. "C'mon, Reginald had our Mom make a breakfast feast to celebrate Adora's birthday. Oh, um, happy birthday by the way."

"Thanks." I said, watching Klaus get up and follow our brothers.

I slowly walk back into my room, looking at the mirror. Hmm, red shirt and glasses, shorts, short dark brown hair...what is _missing?_

"Happy birthday, Adora." I heard Allison say. At the same time I heard her spoke, I felt a feather boa resting on both of my shoulders and around my neck. Not just any feather boa, but the pink one that Allison used to wear all the time. Sweet.

"Thanks Allison!" I chirped. "I love the boa, I hope to get one of my own someday."

"Well, today's your lucky day. It's yours." Allison smirked.

"Fuck, really?! Thanks Allison!" I turned away from the mirror, hugging Allison. "Hell yeah, this is shaping up to be the best birthday ever."

"See you at the breakfast table, Dad is acting really antsy about us taking our time." Allison chuckled, leaving in the same direction that Klaus did. I hear more steps towards my room. It was Five, the brother of mine that never took a proper name. He said that Five made him sound like a badass. Heh, or an edgy teen perhaps.

_"Hey,_ Adora." Five's eyes were darting everywhere: looking at me, the walls, the floor.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just want you to wear this underneath your feather boa." Five handed me a small necklace with a minuscule sapphire in the middle. "A good luck charm for your birthday, y'know?"

"Aw, that's sweet of you Five." I grinned, hugging my lanky brother. "You better get to the table, Allison said that Dad was getting impatient."

"Oh, right." Five frowned. "On second thought, I might go see how Grace is doing in the kitchen. I'll join you guys in a minute."

"Okie."

Five left, and I was expecting Vanya. Perhaps I should join the others and let Vanya catch up, but my feet refused to do so. Minutes passed, and I heard a slow song play from her violin. My heart jumped inside my chest, and I made my way to her room. The song sounded like one that you'd play for a funeral or from a broken heart. It felt very..._Vanya._

"That song of yours is beautiful."

Vanya, who was staring at the ground, snapped out of her trance and looked at me.

"Oh, thank you." Vanya looked away. "So I heard Luther and Diego talking, about you possibly being _ordinary."_

"Yeah, it was something like that." I said. "I mean, it would make sense. I was just a random baby that was born on the same day as y'all. But that wouldn't be a bad thing, we'd have something in common, right?"

"Right." Vanya smiled, for a brief moment, before she frowned. "You're not walking over to Danielle's house, are you?"

"What? No, of course not." I lied. "There's a lot of fun places to walk near the mansion, and her house _isn't_ one of them."

"Adora."

_"What?"_ I spat defensively. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to think about her."

"Then don't, today's_ your_ birthday." Vanya placed her violin on the floor, walking closer to me. "Don't ruin it by walking to her house."

Sorry Vanya, but I'm already fucked.

"I won't." I say, like a goddamn liar.

"Good." Vanya smiles, like an angel.

_"Girls!"_ I heard our Dad shout. "To the table. _Now!"_

_"Coming!"_ I shouted, taking Vanya's hand. "C'mon, Dad is going to flip his lid if we keep him waiting a second longer."

We walked to the table, sitting at the seat closest to Dad, who sat at the end of the table. Vanya sat on the seat to my right, and Klaus grinned at me from the seat across. Five sat on the other side of the table, glaring at Dad.

"Course the ordinary children come here last." Dad scoffed. "It may be your birthday, Adora, but I expected much better from you."

"Today is a _very_ special day." Dad continued before I could respond. "Each of you will have a special assessment to prove how tasked you are with saving the world. Vanya will be the only one exempt from this."

"But I thought you said I was ordinary." I narrowed my eyes.

"It was a mere assumption, but I will know the answer by the end of today." Dad responded, not skipping a beat. "The special assessment requires that only me, Grace, and the assessed person be in the mansion. After breakfast, Luther will go first."

I have an excuse to walk to Danielle's house?! Fuck yeah!

Just when I thought my birthday couldn't get any better, Grace walked out of the kitchen with two heaping piles of pancakes topped with whipped cream and fruit. She placed one plate in front of me, and one for Vanya. She repeated this trip to the kitchen and back until everyone had a plate of pancakes, and a big plate of bacon and sausages in the middle of the table.

_Raspberries, strawberries, whipped cream!_ Hell yeah!

"Thanks Dad!" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"You're welcome." He responded. "Five, are you not hungry?"

"Eh." Five pushed his plate of pancakes aside and grabbed a strip of bacon. "Not really."

"You will eat a decent amount, the assessment will take a lot of your energy." Dad ordered.

"Sure it will, I'm sure it'll be a real _killer."_ Five growled, gritting his teeth.

"Is everything alright, Five?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, I just...woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. That's all." Five grumbled.

Five glanced at Dad once more before slamming his fork into the pile of pancakes, ripping out a piece and shoving it into his mouth. For the rest of the feast, he avoided eye contact with all of us. What's he so upset about?

I paid it no mind and dug in, enjoying the hell out of this feast. After eating half the stack and four strips of bacon, I got up to go to the bathroom and apply blue lipstick and black mascara. Danielle can fucking eat my heart out.

I exit the bathroom, where Luther is already following Dad and Grace up the stairs. I follow the other siblings as they exit the mansion, sporting my makeup, outfit, and feather boa. This is going to be awesome.

"Mind if I follow you?"

Dammit Vanya.

"Only if you want to go with me to the...sex toy store?" God, I hope that works.

"Sure." Vanya gives me a rare smile.

"What, no! That'll be embarrassing." I blushed. "I'll just be there for an hour or so, and then I'll meet you back here, okay?"

Vanya's smile disappeared like a flicker of light, she _knows_. My heart beats faster, with a sense of flighty urgency taking over. I don't know if she'll let it be or stop me.

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon-

"Whatever you say, Adora."

"Okay, I won't let you down!" I lied, again.

I dash ahead of my siblings, across the streets and deep into the nearby neighborhood. My feet don't stop, memories of Danielle rising upon me like the dead coming back to life. Towering over me, her swinging boobs pressed against mine as her hair intermingles with mine. **_Everything,_** intermingling with my body and with hers. Fuckity fuck.

My feet go faster, they slam the sidewalk harder then Danielle slammed me against the wall. Shit, that bitch has me still. She doesn't need to know that, fuck her.

_"I'll always care about you, Adora."_

Liar, _liar,_ _liar, _**_liar._**

I'm at her house.

I stop, letting my feather boa rest on my shoulders once more. My feet have stopped moving fast, but my heart hasn't. No, she needs to know how happy I am without her. Wait, she needs to know that she ruined me! _Wait, _**fuck!** _What angle am I going for?!_

Um, I'll go for happy! Yeah, stick it to the bitch!

Rehearsing my lines like at a play, I step onto the porch and knock on the door. I take a deep breath, in and out. The door creaks open, it's a middle-aged woman that I don't recognize whatsoever.

"Um, hi? I'm looking for a Danielle Rivers?" I asked.

"A Danielle? Oh honey." the woman coos. "She moved, she doesn't live here anymore."

"I..." The world stops, she never told me that she was moving. Why wouldn't she tell me? Hell no, fuck no, this isn't _fucking happening! _


End file.
